IMPORTANT DATES:

March 17 – 24              Spring Break
March 25                     School resumes....It will be a B DAY
April 1 & 2                   Math MSA Testing, 6, 7 and 8
April 4                         End of Marking Period, schools close 3 hours early.
April 8 & 9                   Reading MSA Testing, 6, 7 and 8
April 16                        Report Cards issued
April 24                       Countywide Professional Day, schools closed for students.
April 28, 29, 30 &        Science MSA, 8th grade only
                    May 1
May 12                         Interim progress reports issued.
May 12                         Spring Concert, Reservoir High School
May 16                         Professional Work Day, schools closed for students
May 21, 22, 23             6th Grade Outdoor Ed
May 26                         Memorial Day, all schools and offices closed.
June 6                          8th Grade Boat Trip

INTRAMURAL SCHEDULE
STUDENTS MUST HAVE A SIGNED PERMISSION SLIP ON FILE IN ORDER TO PARTICIPATE
SIGN-UP SHEETS ARE POSTED IN THE CAFETERIA

Imani Club 4/15; 5/20 and 6/10
Stepping Class Thursdays, 3:15 – 4:45
Please note: Intramurals are from 3:10 p.m. – 4:45 p.m.

Dear Friends and Families of Lime Kiln Middle School,

Tonight, Michelle Seu will be competing in the countywide spelling bee at Howard High School. I know you join the staff in wishing her the very best of luck!

Congratulations to the LKMS debate team who competed in the countywide middle school competition at Oakland Mills Middle School. I had the pleasure of watching them. They won their debate against Wilde Lake Middle School. They were exceptionally well prepared! Thank you to Mrs. Spillman for her commitment! The team members were Tim Fisher, Jonathan Geldorf, Taylor Paek, C hristina Darwish, Deep Singh, Nikhil Khanna, Payal Pubbi, and Thomas Bagley.

The LKMS Wind Ensemble participated in the countywide band adjudication Wednesday at Hammond High School. Congratulations to Mr. Jackowski and our outstanding students! They scored the highest score (1) on sight reading and a 2 on the prepared pieces.

This week, as we continue through the 25 Rules of Civility from the book, Choosing Civility by P. M. Forni, we focus on Rule 22: Refrain from idle complaints. Here are highlights from that chapter:

As part of the Youth Development Center, we are considering starting a beginning Bridge Club, sponsored by the American Contract Bridge League. We need a minimum of eight students to begin fourth marking period. Please email me if you would be interested in having your child learn to play.

I wish everyone a relaxing and rejuvenating spring break!

Sincerely,
Brenda Thomas

THE RULES OF CIVILITY

Rule 22: Refrain from idle complaints.

Continuous complaining is an unwarranted spreading of misery. It is the kind that is more interested in assigning blame than in finding solutions and is rooted in the feeling that life is unfair. However, every day you spend on earth gives you an abundance of reasons to be grateful.

Idle complaining is bad because it reinforces a pessimistic outlook on life. Pessimism is like deliberate trudging in the mud. You stick your unfortunate listeners in your own mud and you drag them along with you for not good reason.

Tranquility, joy and happiness are gifts we give to ourselves. They are the result of our smart choices in the way we think & the way we act. Begin by letting go of unproductive complaining.

Encourage complainers to look hard for reasons to cheer up. Few will ever fault you for being a relentless spotter of silver linings.

Our students of the week are: Tayler Cinotti, Aspen Shackleford, Anthony Lombardo, Michaela Hennessy, Chris Moseman, Judy Lee, Cameron Dice, and Sarah Rusenko.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS! CMS PTA and PEN are sponsoring a parent workshop on Cyber Communities: Virtual Social Lives Have Real-Life Consequences. This interactive program will be lead by Katie George from the Howard County Library, and will include a step-by-step demonstration on navigating Facebook, the predominate online social networking site our kids already know all about. You won't want to miss it! Thursday, April 10, 7- 8:30 in the CMS cafeteria. Please RSVP to shila815@gmail.com.

From the PTA:

Parents, Teachers and Staff Social Event - Friday, March 28, 2008 at 7:30pm at The Gathering Hall, Clarksville

Invitations are out for the event everyone has been waiting for. Don't miss your opportunity to join parents, staff and teachers of Fulton Elementary and Lime Kiln Middle School for dinner, dancing and live and silent auction all to benefit the educational enrichment of our children. The menu looks great, the well-known band, Mispent Youth will be performing and it looks to be a great night. Gather your old and new friends, rally your neighbors and reserve a table for $390.00 or get your individual tickets for $45.00 a piece. If you need a ticket or more information, please contact Leanne Glueck, lglueck@earthlink.net, 301-604-7150, or Diane Thometz, dithometz@aol.com, 301-854-9730. Get your tickets now before the event sells out!

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK is fast approaching! Our annual week-long celebration of our teachers and staff will be held May 5 through May 9, 2008. Please join in the planning of what we hope to be, a fun filled week. The first (and hopefully only) planning meeting will be held MARCH 26 at 9:15 am at the home of the Monk Family. Coffee and munchies will be served. Please RSVP to Moira Monk at (410) 531-6752 or mdmonks@comcast.net if you can attend. If you would like to help in some way, but cannot attend the meeting please contact Moira. There is much to do; so many hands will be needed. Thank you in advance for your help.

LKMS PTA ISO a membership person for next school year. This is a very important position in the PTA. Most of the time commitment is an Aug-Oct. time frame. The duties include: having materials (membership flyers/envelopes) completed and ready to go home in the first day folders, picking up membership forms/dues from the school office on a regular basis at the beginning of the school year and off and on through March, compiling a list of all members, printing membership cards for those who have joined the PTA and getting them to the members, and forwarding monies to the Treasurer in order to pay the MD PTA for memberships sold. Please contact Jeanne Lineberry for more information -- jeanne_lineberry@verizon.net or (301) 317-1766. Plenty of information can be provided, and I will be happy to provide guidance.

HOSPITALITY COMMITTEE:
A great big THANK YOU to all the parents and students who helped make our February 6 Conference Day Dinner a success! The teachers and staff were treated to a HALF TIME CELEBRATION of tasty appetizers, salads, and many desserts. Without everyone’s assistance, we could not have hosted such a lovely dinner. Thank you to Mrs. Dupski for letting us use her room, it made it so much easier. When you see the people listed below, please extend to them our thanks for a job well done: Mary Rose Jobst, Angie Feeney, Jessica Rinaldi, Katie DeBlasis, Kim Stubbings, Sherri Tatum, Carol Zimmerman, Mary Kay Pappadeas, Alison Mathieson, Monica Spain, Emily Michael, Tracey Fultz, Sandy Rogers, Lori McKay, Maureen Bentz, Stephanie Harman, Moira Monk, Maureen Monk, Caitlyn Rogers, and anyone we may have inadvertently left off the list. THANK YOU!

Popcorn, Soda, and a Movie

Three hundred and ninety-six students were treated to popcorn, soda, and a movie by the PTA in celebration of making the honor roll for the second quarter. Fifteen of those students (5 per grade) were the lucky winners of a drawing for movie passes and movie-sized candy. Congratulations to all our students for their academic accomplishments! Thanks to all the parents who supported the event: Barb and Jeff Slayton, Sherri Tatum, Leanne Glueck, Diane Thometz, Tonya Howes, Kathy Liu, Moira Monk, Juli Bogdash, and Gail Timmick. We also owe an extra-special thanks to Jeff and Sue Troll who donated the use of their popcorn machine and all the popcorn as well.

Save The Date:

Golf Tournament
Friday May 2, 2008
Hampshire Greens Golf Course

Fulton Elementary School and Lime Kiln Middle School Parent Teacher Associations are once again joining together to bring you a Golf Tournament at Hampshire Green Golf Course. Those who have attended this event in the past know that this is a fun filled day of golf, food, and prizes.

If you have any questions, please contact the committee chairs
Yvona Ward
yward@helix.nih.gov
301-725-8474

Christia Chappell
christia_chappell@yahoo.com

PTA Events through June:

MARCH

28 7:30 SPRING SOCIAL
31 3:15 SIT Meeting

APRIL

              7   7:30 PTAC Meeting
            16   7:00 PTA Meeting
         28   3:15 SIT Meeting

MAY

              2    LKMS/Fulton Golf Outing
              3    PTAC Meeting
            5- 9 Staff Appreciation Week
            12    PTA Elections 2008-2009
         19    3:15 SIT Meeting
         28    7:00 PTA Meeting

June

2 7:30 PTAC Meeting

Basket Bingo sponsored by the Laurel Forth of July Committee with proceeds benefiting the 2008 Laurel Independence Day Celebration Saturday 5 April 2008 at the Phelps Center, Montgomery and 8th Street/Saint Mary's Place. Doors open at 6 PM with Bingo starting at 7 PM. Tickets are $18.00 in advance and $20.00 at the door. The ticket price includes the 18 regular games and door prizes. Two Special Games (cake with small riser and lid; and a medium serving basket with 9x13 baking dish) and two Raffles: large hamper with lid and a medium wash day are extra. They are $1.00 each or 6 for $5.00. There will also be a King Tutt. Food and refreshments will be available for purchase. This is a non-smoking event. Contact Traci: 301-943-3388 or Annie: 301-498-3576 for reservations and additional information. Longaberger Company® a registered trademark is not affiliated with this event. Also see our web site: http://www.laurel.md.us/laurelfourth/4Jul-Committee.htm for future events.

A New York City Bus Trip sponsored by the Laurel Forth of July Committee with proceeds benefiting the 2008 Laurel Independence Day Celebration is scheduled for Saturday 3 May 2008. The cost is $50.00 (no refunds) which includes round trip bus transportation and a morning snack. The charter bus will depart Laurel City Hall, 8103 Sandy Spring Road, Laurel, Maryland at 6 AM sharp and will depart New York City promptly at 6 PM and returning to Laurel City Hall approximately 9:30 PM. In New York City the bus will discharge passengers in Times Square. Make checks payable to: Laurel Forth of July Committee and mail to: Laurel Fourth of July Committee P.O. Box 416, Laurel, Maryland 20725-0416. Contact Valerie at vlcunni@comcast.net or telephone Traci: 301-943-3388 for further information or to make reservations. Also see our web site: http://www.laurel.md.us/laurelfourth/4Jul-Committee.htm for future events.